Today, Wednesday March 5, with the Rite of Blessing and Imposition of the Ashes, the Lenten period begins. This is the period when Christians are called upon to renew their lives.
This time of spiritual preparation is “a journey that involves our whole life, our entire being. It is a time to reconsider the path we are taking, to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends.” (From Pope Francis’ homily during the Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica).
This year the friars of the Basilica of Saint Anthony will again entrust themselves, and all of the Saint’s devotees, to the Holy Father’s words in his traditional Message for the 2025 Lent:
Dear brothers and sisters,
We begin our annual pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the imposition of ashes. […]
This Lent, as we share in the grace of the Jubilee Year, I would like to propose a few reflections on what it means to journey together in hope, and on the summons to conversion that God in his mercy addresses to all of us, as individuals and as a community.
First of all, to journey. The Jubilee motto, “Pilgrims of Hope”, evokes the lengthy journey of the people of Israel to the Promised Land, as recounted in the Book of Exodus. This arduous path from slavery to freedom was willed and guided by the Lord, who loves his people and remains ever faithful to them. It is hard to think of the biblical exodus without also thinking of those of our brothers and sisters who in our own day are fleeing situations of misery and violence in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. A first call to conversion thus comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact. Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? […]
Second, to journey together. The Church is called to walk together, to be synodal. Christians are called to walk at the side of others, and never as lone travellers. The Holy Spirit impels us not to remain self-absorbed, but to leave ourselves behind and keep walking towards God and our brothers and sisters. Journeying together means consolidating the unity grounded in our common dignity as children of God (cf. Gal 3:26-28). It means walking side-by-side, without shoving or stepping on others, without envy or hypocrisy, without letting anyone be left behind or excluded. Let us all walk in the same direction, tending towards the same goal, attentive to one another in love and patience. […]
Third, let us journey together in hope, for we have been given a promise. May the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), the central message of the Jubilee, be the focus of our Lenten journey towards the victory of Easter. […]
Francis
Read the whole of Pope Francis’ message – click here
We remind you that, besides the daily celebrations in the Basilica, the 6.00pm (CET) and the 11.00am Sunday Holy Masses will be celebrated every evening and every Sunday, and that they will be streamed live via web and social channels*
Access to the 6.00 pm (CET) livestreamed Masses at:
• This site on the live stream page of the Holy Masses: https://www.santantonio.org/en/content/holy-masses-streaming
• Youtube "Messenger of Saint Anthony": https://www.youtube.com/MessaggerodisantAntonio
• Facebook "Saint Anthony of Padua - The friars of the Basilica": https://www.facebook.com/friarsofsaintanthonyofpadua/